AUTHOR FAQs: we try to
support all authors as evenhandedly as possible.

Carrying Your Books: Unless we have a
record of sales of your book, or of you as an author in general, our default is to take your book on
consignment, a standard 60 (to you) 40 (to us) split. If you do decide
to consign your book with us, you must agree to hold us harmless in the
event of damage or theft. As books sell, we notify you, and you can
restock if you choose to. We have a 'local author' section and rotate
face-outs and books that display on the end-caps of bookcases. We do
not charge authors to carry their books nor do we charge for events.
Placement of books in the store is solely at our discretion. Caveat:
We absolutely reserve the right to refuse to carry any book for any
reason.

Hosted Events: we are happy to host your events
as schedules permit. All events are free and open to the public. We
do not charge authors to host an event. To request an event, please
email us at 'opcitbooks@gmail.com'. Our event coordinator will contact
you within 5 days (our event person is part time, so please be
patient). Even if we schedule you through a conversation, it will be
tentative until you receive a confirmation email.

Hosting Events: things we need from you and things we need to tell you:

Your Contact Information: this includes your phone number,
email address and your preferred method of being contacted. If you
have a publicist, we need that information as well, and any biographical
or bibliographical information you would like us to use.

Information about the book: Title, format, price, ISBN, image of the cover, summary, blurbs, links, any information about local interviews or press.

Dates and times: when you would prefer to have the event -- please give us several options if possible.

Privacy: We will never - like EVER -- release your personal information, but if
you do give us a bio, as well as images, blurbs, a website, etc,. we're assuming that that info is eligible to be part of the
publicity.

Supplying and Selling the book: If you are selling the
book yourself (we are happy to support that), then you must supply the
stock, and be prepared to handle the entire transaction, including
making change, and collecting and remitting all relevant taxes. Any
book that you supply that is rung through our register will be treated as a consignment
sale (i.e., 60% to you, 40% to us.) We do buy stock for authors with
an established sales record for our store; if so, we assume all
responsibility for supplying copies. We must have two weeks in advance notice in
order to ensure we have copies from our supplier. If you are published
via CreateSpace (Amazon publishing) you must supply the books.

Advanced Copies: having a copy on display in the store is
really helpful -- and it's impossible for us to talk about a book if we
haven't seen it or had an opportunity to read any part of it -- so it's a
good idea to give us at least one for display. This is not mandatory,
but it's good marketing. And, hey, it might sell before the event.

How you plan to promote your book and the event: will you
or your publisher do anything to promote the event? Will you list it on
your website or link to our site, or use social marketing? Will you
email to your list? Will you be bringing a group with you for
support? Will you be doing any advertising? Please note that it is
very, very bad form to promote that your book is available on Amazon if
you are having an event in a book store.

The Event Itself:

what format do you prefer? Examples: self-introduction
and reading followed by signing. Introduction by bookstore, followed
by Q&A (some authors won't read). Presentation (slide show, etc)
with reading and signing. Something interactive (samples from a
cookbook, children's crafts). Some formats take more rearranging than others.

How long will it last? Experience indicates that people
start drifting after 30 minutes, so consider what you'd like to do
within that rough timeframe. Think about reading for no more than 15 minutes, doing a
Q&A for 10, and then signing or mingling. If you need us to
monitor the time, let us know.

Reality and Expectations: if you are a first-time author,
and/or self-published, the reality is that you must make a bigger effort
to promote your book yourself. It is likely that most of your initial
sales will be to friends and family. Pre-selling or giving away free
copies your book will depress or preempt any sales you may have at an
event. Also consider how many events you are having -- you may
saturate the local market.

Chin up: even big-name authors with 'big' books have had low
turnout for events, especially when they started out. At a recent event
in Albuquerque, author Khaled Hosseini said that six people showed up
for his event for 'Kite Runner', and that was with a big publishing
house behind him. Even if no one comes, the event is not a failure -
you're out there, you've built a relationship with a book store, you're
practicing. You never know how connections get made.

Hosting Events: what we'll provide:

Website, email, social marketing, radio and local calendars, handouts, postcards: we
will promote your event on the site, via our email list, flyers and
postcards. We'll post on Facebook and other social sites, and can post
flyers at the libraries and public bulletin boards. We will add your
event to local calendars and announcements on the radio (KSFR).

Press releases: we will send out occasional press releases, but, to be included, you must supply biographic and bibliographic information at least six weeks in advance of the event. Local media outlets need time to read and respond, and we need time to formulate the releases.

Limited print advertising: we do a limited amount of print
advertising, and it's highly selective due to the expense and lack of
correlation to actual results. We generally advertise once or twice
monthly in the Pasatiempo, however, it may just be a small announcement
about upcoming events.

Space: we can clear out various parts of the store, but
it's imperative that we have notice. We have had 50+ people at events
in the store, and can work with the Sanbusco staff to use other areas at
the mall if necessary. We have benches, stools, and chairs, and have
an agreement to use the chairs from the restaurant as long as they're
not serving at the time of the event.

Equipment: we have a microphone, basic amp and a stand
that poses as a lectern. We can also provide a high table at which you
can sit or stand to read, and subsequently sign. We have a screen we
can set up (for presentations) and do have a
projector. You should plan to bring your own laptop if you need a computer.